I was particularly interested to see a job advert in the International Job Section for 15 teachers required at the above college. They are offering $1000 a month for 33 hours teaching plus 7 hours admin. I've already seen the negative comments posted about the college back in 2004. Does anybody think that they will achieve their goal of recruiting teachers bearing in mind the current situation in Yemen?

It's a country I would have loved to visit but in these times I guess it's a no no!

Yemen is an amazing, unique country. But yes, it's definitely a huge no-no right now. It's extremely unstable; some parts of the country more than others. Additionally, Yemen is facing an impending water shortage and food crisis. If you're still interested in the region in a socio-political sense, you can keep up with the news and what's generally going on there via the Al Jazeera, Yemen Times, and Yemen Observer websites.

BTW, New Horizons is a training center, not a college. Big difference! Anyway, it's rather reckless of them to entice naive teachers with "cultural activities and free field trips..." as if everything is back to normal.

I see that YCMES is also hiring. While I have worked at neither of these places, I did meet with the admin of New Horizons in Aden back in the day. They seemed ok, but one can never tell how things are for certain until you are owed a paycheck.

But really, I think Nomad Soul has the right idea. I like Yemen too, but now is a very bad time to go. There is unrest just about everywhere, especially in Zinjibar, where seriously heavy fighting is taking place.

Believe it or not, Yemen was quite safe a few years back, safe enough to hitchhike from Sanaa to Aden. While it has a bad reputation for kidnappings, etc., most of those incidents in the past had to do with disgruntled tribes using foreigners as bargaining chips against the government. Rarely did the kidnapped foreigners suffer harm. That said, there are also times when things went quite bad.

As for now, I would not consider Yemen at all. There is a seriously sticky web of political rivalries tearing the country apart. The dirty details are too involved for a post like this, but to the unacquainted this could mean getting caught in the middle of something you did not look for.

IF (and that is a big caps IF) I went to Yemen today I would only trust Amideast. I’ve worked for other places there and the lackadaisical attitude some places have towards employee safety is quite shocking. I once showed up for work at a refinery only to find it blockaded by military trucks and big guns—someone blew up the pipeline nearby and things were on high alert. You would think the employer in such a situation would…I don’t know, mention something about it maybe? No. It’s all business as usual. Just another day at the office. Gee, why were you 10 minutes late? In 2009, some teachers were told to go home by their governments after the American Embassy bombing, and this resulted in a few teachers being ripped off by local institutes upset at their leaving. Amideast, I don’t suspect, would behave this way. Other places are hit and miss.

If you would like details, pm me, as I should keep the info on the thread appropriate.

I see the same position(s) with New Horizons has emerged again. I guess they didn't have much luck the first time round. How on earth do they expect to get 15 teachers after what happened at the weekend?

New Horizons has always been the lowest paying institute in Yemen, as far as I know. Only a few years back they would offer $300 per month. So I think that they consider $1000 to be generous.

But it isn't. Inflation is high in Yemen and although it is touted as low-cost place, it is only low cost if you live like a Yemeni and pay Yemeni prices, which is not the case. Even if you try to live like a Yemeni, you will often be charged double or more than what a Yemeni would pay, for nearly everything.

And as for danger money, well, don't get greedy. They do offer "cultural activities and free field trips to historical sites in Yemen." Pretty much covers that, I'd say.

In truth, "historical sites" can be anything from the skyscrapers of Hadaramaut to the local mosque. And "cultural activities" can be also loosely interpreted. Hey, wanna come to my cousin Ahmed's wedding? Up for some qat this afternoon? Really makes your teeth look cool!

The BBC are reporting that the main airport is open again. But for how much longer? no one knows.

I fully agree with you VS, Yemeni students are some of the most respectful students I've taught, and hopefully will go on teaching here in the UK. They are not spoilt, they have very few issues, enjoy their lives to the full. Even teaching them in Jordan was a pleasure.

I sometimes wonder if this Arab spring has done anything good. There seems to be no real leadership and command in any of the countries so far. All it has achieved is a vacuum whereby the military seem to be in control. I may be wrong saying that, but look what's going on in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen. None of these places can be called stable at the moment.